A Singapore team for Singaporeans
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By Elena Torrijos | Fit to Post Sports – <abbr title="2011-12-06T08:47:56Z" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">23 hours ago</abbr></cite>
LionsXII captain Shahril Ishak (L) and head coach V Sundramoorthy. (Yahoo! photo/ Christine Choo)
COMMENT
By Damon Yeo
It says a lot when the biggest buzz about the unveiling of Singapore's Malaysian Super League(MSL) is just around its name — LionsXII.
For a fancy new team name, a fancy new logo and an upgraded stadium are just about everything new Lions fans can expect for Singapore's much-awaited return to the Malaysia league after a 17-year hiatus.
No less than 13 players named in the squad were drafted from the Courts Young Lions team that finished ninth in the S-League season that just ended. Initially, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said they were planning to select only five players over the age of 23, but the squad list now has nine "over-aged" players — the oldest being midfielder Shahril Ishak at 28.
It's no surprise that Shahril Ishak has been named team captain. The diminutive midfielder is the most experienced player of the lot, having been around the scene since 2003. He spent the last 18 months plying his trade in Indonesia and is also the current captain of the full senior national team.
21-year-old Hariss Harun being named vice-captain was also no surprise. Hariss skippered the Courts Young Lions for the 2011 S-League season and has often been tipped as future national captain.
The appointment of V Sundramoothy as team coach is also the safe choice for the FAS. Many fans still remember Sundram for his spectacular overhead kick in an M-League match back in 1993, but since then the 46-year-old has managed to carve out a moderately successful coaching career, first with the now-defunct Jurong FC in 1999 and then with the Young Lions in 2007.
Given that the team has about a full month to prepare for the competition, Sundram's appointment is preferred over any foreign coach at this stage.
But here's where I commend the FAS: In a bold move, it has decided to go 100 per cent local.
There was no mention of any foreign additions in the LionsXII squad list. Admittedly, Nigerian-born Agu Casmir is the only player not born within our shores, but the striker has been a naturalised citizen since 2004.
Maybe the FAS finally considered the sentiments of a majority of football fans out there who have lashed out at the Foreign Talent Scheme (FTS).
Maybe the FAS took into account the success of the 2011 Lion City Cup and how the youth-level tournament attracted more crowds and generated more buzz than any of the 2011 S-League matches. Singapore's U15s and the U16s, made up only of local schoolboys, were widely praised for their performances as they finished third and second, respectively.
Maybe money was another consideration. FAS says the team budget is in the tune of $2 million-a-year. It does sound like a significant amount, but anyone in football knows that the annual wages of two really top-quality foreigners will eat away a sizeable chunk of that budget.
Whether this calculated strategy of grooming local talent from FAS will pay off in the campaign, I do not know given that all 13 other teams in next year's Malaysian Super League are allowed to sign two foreign players for the domestic competition.
Sabah FA, one of participants of the 2012 Malaysia Super League, has already snapped up two Australians with very impressive CVs.
Whatever the case, the good thing is that the fans will have a full local team to cheer on next year.
I know before in the good old Malaysia Cup days, we had the likes of Michael Vana, Craig Foster, Abbas Saad and Jang Jung representing Singapore but that was before the days of the Foreign Talent Scheme and Singapore then is not the Singapore we know now.
So I for one applaud the FAS' move to go local. And I will be there to cheer MY Lions on.
Damon Yeo was a barely a teenager when Singapore won the double in Malaysia back in 1994 but has not stopped supporting the national team and the S-League since.
<cite class="byline vcard" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(125, 125, 125); font-size: 12px; display: inline-block !important; font-family: arial; vertical-align: middle; line-height: 2.2em; ">
By Elena Torrijos | Fit to Post Sports – <abbr title="2011-12-06T08:47:56Z" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">23 hours ago</abbr></cite>
LionsXII captain Shahril Ishak (L) and head coach V Sundramoorthy. (Yahoo! photo/ Christine Choo)
COMMENT
By Damon Yeo
It says a lot when the biggest buzz about the unveiling of Singapore's Malaysian Super League(MSL) is just around its name — LionsXII.
For a fancy new team name, a fancy new logo and an upgraded stadium are just about everything new Lions fans can expect for Singapore's much-awaited return to the Malaysia league after a 17-year hiatus.
No less than 13 players named in the squad were drafted from the Courts Young Lions team that finished ninth in the S-League season that just ended. Initially, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said they were planning to select only five players over the age of 23, but the squad list now has nine "over-aged" players — the oldest being midfielder Shahril Ishak at 28.
It's no surprise that Shahril Ishak has been named team captain. The diminutive midfielder is the most experienced player of the lot, having been around the scene since 2003. He spent the last 18 months plying his trade in Indonesia and is also the current captain of the full senior national team.
21-year-old Hariss Harun being named vice-captain was also no surprise. Hariss skippered the Courts Young Lions for the 2011 S-League season and has often been tipped as future national captain.
The appointment of V Sundramoothy as team coach is also the safe choice for the FAS. Many fans still remember Sundram for his spectacular overhead kick in an M-League match back in 1993, but since then the 46-year-old has managed to carve out a moderately successful coaching career, first with the now-defunct Jurong FC in 1999 and then with the Young Lions in 2007.
Given that the team has about a full month to prepare for the competition, Sundram's appointment is preferred over any foreign coach at this stage.
But here's where I commend the FAS: In a bold move, it has decided to go 100 per cent local.
There was no mention of any foreign additions in the LionsXII squad list. Admittedly, Nigerian-born Agu Casmir is the only player not born within our shores, but the striker has been a naturalised citizen since 2004.
Maybe the FAS finally considered the sentiments of a majority of football fans out there who have lashed out at the Foreign Talent Scheme (FTS).
Maybe the FAS took into account the success of the 2011 Lion City Cup and how the youth-level tournament attracted more crowds and generated more buzz than any of the 2011 S-League matches. Singapore's U15s and the U16s, made up only of local schoolboys, were widely praised for their performances as they finished third and second, respectively.
Maybe money was another consideration. FAS says the team budget is in the tune of $2 million-a-year. It does sound like a significant amount, but anyone in football knows that the annual wages of two really top-quality foreigners will eat away a sizeable chunk of that budget.
Whether this calculated strategy of grooming local talent from FAS will pay off in the campaign, I do not know given that all 13 other teams in next year's Malaysian Super League are allowed to sign two foreign players for the domestic competition.
Sabah FA, one of participants of the 2012 Malaysia Super League, has already snapped up two Australians with very impressive CVs.
Whatever the case, the good thing is that the fans will have a full local team to cheer on next year.
I know before in the good old Malaysia Cup days, we had the likes of Michael Vana, Craig Foster, Abbas Saad and Jang Jung representing Singapore but that was before the days of the Foreign Talent Scheme and Singapore then is not the Singapore we know now.
So I for one applaud the FAS' move to go local. And I will be there to cheer MY Lions on.
Damon Yeo was a barely a teenager when Singapore won the double in Malaysia back in 1994 but has not stopped supporting the national team and the S-League since.
